Planes of all shapes and sizes will fill the skies above airport during air show

Published: September 9, 2003 8:00 PM

The search light will shine on aviation Saturday at the Cambridge Municipal Airport.

History will be honored when a T-33 jet trainer is unveiled in memory of Cambridge area native Capt. James William Bill Reed.

While en route to Hanoi, South Vietnam, on July 24, 1970, Reeds F-4D Phantom jet fighter crashed in Laos. The 1961 Cambridge High School graduate was 27 years old at the time of his death.

In the 1990s, personal effects and bone fragments were recovered from the crash site. His remains were positively identified, and he was laid to rest with full military honors in Guernsey County Memory Gardens in the late 1990s.

The T-33, the most commonly used jet trainer in the world and the first jet-powered trainer used by the United States Air Force, will be restored and mounted on a pedestal as a permanent display at the airport.

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The unveiling ceremony will take place at noon, and will include members of the Robert T. Secrest Memorial VFW Post 2901 and other federal, state and local dignitaries.

Flight through the ages will be demonstrated during the Parade of Planes, scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.

Aircraft in several categories including antique, military, helicopter, experimental and general aviation will conduct fly-overs of the airport as information about each plane and pilot is announced via the public address system.

Expected to be on hand is a number of historic aircraft, including a Chinese Nan-Chang, Beech Staggerwing biplane and Stearman. The military has been invited, and may participate by sending aircraft and personnel.

History will be made when local pilot Carl LaRue lifts his plane from the runway at 1:15 p.m.

LaRue is the official representative of the Buckeye State, and will fly the states official flag to Kitty Hawk, N.C. There, near the site of the Wright Brothers historic first powered and manned flight in 1903, the flag will join 49 others from every state in celebration of the watershed event of the early 20th century.

His flight will serve another purpose, however, as he will attempt to establish a new speed record from Cambridge to Kitty Hawk.

Several vendors and a trailer dedicated to the Navy airship USS Shenandoah will be on hand as well during the event, and model plane and paragliding demonstrations are planned.

The event, sponsored by the Airport Authority and the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 928, is free. Parking will be available south of Route 660, between the airport and the MATC training center. As seating is limited, attendees are encouraged to bring lawn or camp chairs.